Manufacturing startups
Companies making physical things, and the software crawling into the factories, workshops and maintenance crews that make them.
What counts as Manufacturing
Manufacturing covers companies making physical things and the software crawling into the factories, workshops and maintenance crews that make them. On this hub that means supply chain and freight visibility, factory floor software including maintenance and safety, advanced materials and production technology, and established manufacturers building something genuinely new.
The chain, and the floor
Two different businesses share this hub. One moves goods between places - freight, warehousing and sourcing. The other happens inside a single building, where the work actually gets done.
Supply chain was the story of a specific era
A striking number of these profiles come from the period when supply chains stopped being invisible. FreightPath builds a digital network for brokers, carriers and shippers. Shipeezi sells visibility over the whole shipping process, and Izba helped startups navigate the disruption directly, as a consultancy rather than a product.
Warehousing1 and Beyond Warehousing work on the storage half of the same problem, and Mickey and Raykam Alloys on sourcing the raw material at the start of it.
Software finally reached the maintenance crew
The factory floor cluster is smaller but more interesting, because it is aimed at people who have historically not been given software at all. Elara sets out to capture what an experienced maintenance technician knows and turn it into data. Nsflow uses augmented reality for work instructions and remote expert help, which is the same instinct expressed as a headset rather than a database.
Safety is where AI landed first
Gaize analyses eye movement with machine learning to detect impairment in drivers and workers. SafetyConnect applies AI to field force safety. In both cases the model is watching for a hazard rather than optimising throughput - a notably different application from most industrial AI pitches.
The genuinely hard problems
Two companies here are working on things that take years. Mimicrete, founded by female researchers from Cambridge, is developing biomimetic self-healing concrete. Roboze works at the top end of 3D printing accuracy for high-performance polymers, and Realtime Robotics solves collision-free motion planning in real time, which is the constraint that keeps industrial robots caged.
And people who actually make things
THE CNC COMPANY is the outlier worth ending on - not industrial software at all, but content, community and machines for makers, starting with the hobbyist engineer and their garage.
| Company | What it does | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Elara | Turns maintenance know-how and technician intuition into data-driven insight. | Factory floor |
| Nsflow | Augmented reality for knowledge management, remote expert help and interactive work instructions. | Factory floor |
| Realtime Robotics | Flexible robot control built on real-time collision-free motion planning. | Automation |
| SafetyConnect | AI-powered field force safety platform aimed at keeping workers out of harm's way. | Safety |
| Gaize | Automated impairment testing using eye movement analysed by machine learning. | Safety |
| Mimicrete | Biomimetic self-healing concrete, founded by female researchers from the University of Cambridge. | Advanced materials |
| Roboze | High-accuracy 3D printing for high-performance super polymers. | Production technology |
| Prewitt Ridge | Verve, a digital engineering platform that unblocks hardware development in government and commercial projects. | Production technology |
| FreightPath | Digital freight network letting brokers, carriers and shippers collaborate on a shipment. | Freight |
| Shipeezi | End-to-end shipment visibility and control across the whole shipping process. | Freight |
| Warehousing1 | Berlin-based logtech digitising the logistics experience for e-commerce brands. | Warehousing |
| Beyond Warehousing | Full-service third-party logistics covering warehousing, distribution and fulfilment. | Warehousing |
| Izba | Supply chain consultancy helping startups operate through post-pandemic disruption. | Supply chain |
| Mickey | Brings physical commodity trading online for suppliers and traders. | Supply chain |
| Raykam Alloys | Simplifies ferrous and non-ferrous raw material supply for manufacturers. | Supply chain |
| Liberty Supply | B2B distributor for maintenance, repair and operations needs of hydronic and steam systems. | Supply chain |
| THE CNC COMPANY | Content, community and machines for makers, from hobbyist engineers upward. | Making |
| Heaton Manufacturing | Manufacturing solutions built around innovative approaches to industry demands. | Manufacturer |
| GhostBed | Mattresses and bedding with cooling technology, from a family business a century old. | Manufacturer |
| Fuel Genie Systems | Hydrogen injection kits fitted to petrol or diesel vehicles in under an hour. | Manufacturer |
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Start-up Backed with 100 Years of Innovation, Craftsmanship & Family Values
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New product uses eye movement to catch impaired drivers and workers.
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Combine customized manufacturing and 3D printing at Roboze
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Optimizing supply chain opportunities at Beyond Warehousing
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Transforming automation with Realtime Robotics
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Liberty Supply supplies the goods
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Frequently asked questions
What does the Manufacturing hub cover?
Four things - supply chain, freight and warehousing; software running on the factory floor, including maintenance and safety; advanced materials and production technology like 3D printing and self-healing concrete; and established manufacturers profiled for something new they have built.
Which part is best represented?
Supply chain and logistics. FreightPath, Shipeezi, Warehousing1, Beyond Warehousing, Izba, Mickey, Raykam Alloys and Liberty Supply all work on moving, storing or sourcing physical goods - unsurprising given how many of these profiles date from the period when supply chains were failing publicly.
Is anyone working on materials science?
Mimicrete is the standout. Founded by female researchers from the University of Cambridge, it develops biomimetic self-healing concrete - a materials problem rather than a software one, and one with a long path to market.
How is AI used in industrial settings here?
Mostly for safety and maintenance rather than for production. Gaize analyses eye movement with machine learning to detect impairment in drivers and workers, SafetyConnect works on field force safety, and Elara turns maintenance intuition into data.
Do you cover traditional manufacturers as well as startups?
Yes, where there is something new to write about. GhostBed is a family business a century old building mattresses with its own cooling technology, and Heaton Manufacturing and Just Value Doors are profiled as established manufacturers rather than as venture-stage companies.